By Ahmed Rufa’i, Dutse
The Jigawa State Government has commended the FCDO-Lafiya Programme for its continued partnership in driving demographic reforms, governance strengthening, and human capital development across the state.
The commendation was contained in a communiqué issued by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, Alhaji Sagir Muhammad Sani Kila, following the conclusion of a three-day validation workshop on the Jigawa Demographic Dividend Roadmap.
According to the communiqué, the workshop successfully produced the final copy of the roadmap, which is now set for official consideration and adoption by the State Executive Council.
“The workshop aimed to validate and refine the draft Demographic Dividend Roadmap and its indicator matrix, ensuring it reflects Jigawa’s culture, values, and institutional context,” the statement read.
The roadmap is built around five strategic pillars anchored on the SMART framework — Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound — to ensure effective implementation and measurable outcomes.
The pillars include, Harnessing youth potential through job creation, skills development, and economic growth; Addressing high fertility and low education and employment levels and Improving adolescent, maternal, and child health outcomes
Others are expanding access to quality education and entrepreneurship opportunities; and Strengthening policy coordination, accountability, and gender inclusion mechanisms.
The document also captures key human capital indicators such as population growth trends, dependency ratios, fertility patterns, maternal health, immunisation coverage, and education statistics.
The communiqué highlighted the importance of continuous monitoring and collaboration between the state government, FCDO-Lafiya, and other development partners to ensure the roadmap’s sustainability and long-term impact.
Participants at the workshop agreed to submit the validated document to the State Executive Council for formal adoption and integrate its priorities into sectoral and medium-term development plans.
Chaired by Alhaji Sagir Muhammad Sani Kila and facilitated by Dr. Musa Sani Zakirai, the workshop brought together representatives from MDAs, civil society, academia, traditional and religious institutions, the media, and the National Population Commission (NPC).
The communiqué lauded the participants for their commitment to inclusive development and praised the FCDO-Lafiya Programme for its steadfast support toward achieving sustainable population management and governance reforms in Jigawa State.